Tag: mommyblogger

Ree Drummond’s Waffle Recipe Is The BEST EVER

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I think I won some mom brownie points with these waffles this past weekend. They are scrumptious! And well, with a stick of butter of in there, of course they are!

Don’t you love when you try a new recipe and you are pleasantly surprised! Of course sometimes you try something new and you experience disappointment. But sometimes the recipe risk is the best thing ever!

I’ll be making these today and actually freezing them so my girls can eat them for the rest of the week. We topped our waffles with fresh strawberries, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. I hope you enjoy these as much as our family did!

For the direct link to the recipe CLICK HERE

Ree Drummond Waffle Recipe

What You Need:


2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of milk (preferably whole milk)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 eggs plus 2 additional egg whites

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted (original calls for salted, I’m just not a fan of salted butter)

Steps:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt)

2. Mix the wet ingredients (milk, eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract, and melted butter)

3. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix well.

Enjoy!

Meat And Cheese Charcuterie Board Inspiration – Visual Layouts And Pairings

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Get started! Charcuterie Boards short cut!

#ad as an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases

Charcuterie boards are so much fun! They are kind of like snowflakes, they are each unique in their own way. And what a way to display your creativity! I love it! This blog is specifically meat and cheese but I see myself sharing a sweets charcuterie board blog too in the future. So many possibilities!

I went to a wine tasting last weekend to celebrate a friends 35th birthday. There was a total of 5 of us and we all met because of our daughters. Our girls all met last year in kindergarten and now our little beauties are in first grade. It’s been so much fun developing these types of friendships and I’m so grateful.

Back to the wine tasting, one of the girls brought a prepared charcuterie board that we all got to enjoy and indulge in. A friends of hers actually creates them as a business!

Just sitting with the girls drinking some wine in the vineyards while snacking was pure bliss. If you’re a mom you know how badly you have to take some time for yourself to recharge your batteries.

The board we snacked on. My favorite is the spicy meat paired with a flavored goat cheese and crispy cracker. So yummy!

We all get excited about having a charcuterie board party. Maybe the wine was kicking in or we were just really hungry which resulted in this charcuterie board being the best thing ever. But this charcuterie board inspired this blog.

I share some layouts to help you with your charcuterie board party that you may be planning and some common pairings. You don’t have to follow it exactly but use this more as a guide and have some fun with it!

Thank you for reading and have fun charcutering! (I just made that up)

Charcuterie Board Visuals

Charcuterie Board Pairings And Tips

Would love to see your board! Share it with us on instagram!

Click here 🙂

For additional pairings with wine specifically check out this blog!

Fall Wines And The Perfect Pairings That Go With Them

Chicken And Mushroom Pasta In A Heavy Cream Sauce

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Servings: 6-8

What You Need:

1 12oz bag of wide egg noodles

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1-2 teaspoons of garlic (fresh or jar)

1 small package of mushrooms

3/4 cup of chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper for taste

2 cups of sharp white cheddar cheese shredded

2 cups chopped chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken shredded

Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish (optional)

Steps:

1. Boil a medium to large pot of water. When water is boiling add a few dashes of salt and then cook pasta according to directions. Reserving 3/4 cup of pasta water.Set aside when done.

2. In a large skillet melt butter and sauté onion and garlic until tender.

3. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until cooked and tender.

4. Add chicken stock, heavy cream, cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Mix until smooth and cheese is completely melted.

5. Stir in the chicken and pasta in the sauce and add the pasta water. Turn off heat and mix well, allowing to sit for little for sauce to thicken.

6. Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Enjoy!

**** This taste amazing the next day too! ****

Easy Alfredo Sauce

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This Alfredo sauce is so yummy! Enjoy!

What You Need:

2 cups of Parmesan Cheese

1 (8 tablespoons) stick of unsalted butter

1 cup of heavy cream (8oz)

A few dashes of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of fresh parsley finely chopped and a little extra chopped for garnish

Steps:

1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat, once butter is melted add heavy cream. Allow to simmer while mixing for 2 minutes seasoning with salt and pepper.

2. Add Parmesan cheese and parsley. Add a few dashes of milk or pasta water to thin sauce out a little. Allow to cook and very low heat until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Soften The Heart: Devotional #10

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“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content”

Philippians 4:11

If we define the word worry, it reads; “give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.” Think about that for just a moment. When we can’t control something, it causes us stress and anxiety. It leads us down the path of worrying where we end up in a field filled with fear.

How often do you worry? Many times I’m sure. About all sorts of things, right? We worry about the future, we worry about our children, we worry about bills being paid, we worry about our health, we worry about our family, we worry about many, many things.

We all worry. What you should know though is worrying is natural human survival instinct. Ultimately we worry to protect us from harm. Maybe you’re thinking, “how is worrying about my family protecting me? I’m worry about them.” Yes, that is true, however you worry to protect yourself from feeling pain. If something happens to someone in your family, you know you would suffer too. And who wants to suffer? Again, we worry to protect us. *Humans are pretty selfish, we think about ourselves a lot.*

Now worrying and living in fear is giving in to a very powerful force. Too many times we allow these emotions to completely control us and prevent us from truly living and feeling joy in our hearts. This also prevents our relationship with God from growing. Why? Because we aren’t trusting God. We aren’t trusting the creator of the entire universe. You’re not alone my friend, and you’re not on your own.

We have to lean in, we have to surrender, and we have to trust our Heavenly Father. He knows way more than we do. But, like a three year old, we are stubborn children. We want to do things on our own. Like children, we don’t want help. We don’t want to believe our Heavenly Father knows more than we do. Maybe we aren’t children, we kinda sound more like teenagers.

The spirit within us is like a muscle. As we strengthen our spirit muscle, it becomes stronger. The seed of love that God planted in all of us becomes stronger. God is love my friends. But we gotta water that seed! And we have to water others! As we continue to work on your relationship with God we become stronger than the flesh, we become stronger than those feelings and emotions that act like a wall preventing us from living in peace and harmony.

When we continue to seek God, the walls of fear and worry begin to crumble and dissolve like a soaked cookie in milk. We begin to feel peace within ourselves.

No matter what state we are in we aren’t worried or in fear because we know God loves us. We know no matter what, it’s going to be okay. We begin to understand God is in us, he surrounds us, he is reaching out and rescuing us.

But to be in that state, we have to reach our hand out. Gods hand is already present, we are the ones holding back. And once we grab ahold of the hand of God no matter what happens you’ll know in your heart God has got this. No matter what you know in the end Gods going to make everything right. God loves you. He loves you, He loves you, He loves you.

God bless

Cream Cheese Frosting

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Cream Cheese Frosting

This amount of frosting is good for 24 cupcakes or a 9×13 size cake. There may be a little extra just to eat! Yum!

What You Need:

1 8oz pack of cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup (1stick) of unsalted butter (softened)

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

A small squeeze of a lemon (optional)

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl except for the lemon. Mix well until smooth and creamy.

2. Now take the lemon and squeeze just a little bit of lemon juice to give the frosting a sweet tangy taste. Mix well. Taste, and add more if needed.

3. Spread on cupcakes, muffins, breads, whatever your little heart desires.

Note: store any left over frosting in the fridge. Frosting is good for 3-5 days.

If it’s looking like this picture below the cream cheese or butter may not have been softened enough. No worries though! Just let the frosting sit out for a bit. Then mix again with an electric mixture.

A little lumpy, I knew the butter wasn’t soft enough!

I let it sit out and then we re-mixed it. Smooth and creamy, just what we wanted!

Enjoy my precious gems!

Maple And Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

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Makes between 20 to 25 cookies (depending on desired size)

Bake at 350 for 8 to 10mins (oven time may vary)

What You Need:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 full stick of softened unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)

2 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark, but you can use semisweet too)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps:

1. In a medium size bowl mix together oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour.

2. In a large bowl beat with an electric mixer the brown sugar, the stick of butter, and granulated sugar until combined. Beat in egg. Then beat in maple syrup and vanilla extract. Once it’s all combined begin beating in the flour mixture. (Can use hands when it begins getting thicker)

4. Once mixture is set add chocolate chips and mix well. (If you have kids this is fun for them to mix with their hands)

5. Place generous dollops of oatmeal batter onto parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 mins.

Note: when taking the cookies out of the oven beat the tray on the counter a few times to enhance a chewy soft texture. So yummy. It needs to be done RIGHT AWAY once pulled out.

ALSO, I personally bake one tray at a time on the high rack. This recipe made about 3 trays for me.

When placing on cookie sheet keep in mind they don’t need to be perfect. Glob it up!
Fresh from the oven. I really feel beating them on the counter makes the difference. Let me know how it works for you! Do it once you pull them out!
Crispy AND chewy. Not overly sweet either! Enjoy with a glass of milk and share with friends.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Zucchini Bread

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This bread is easy to make and super tasty. A yummy quick breakfast treat, but hey, if you want to have this for lunch or dinner I won’t judge!

Is best served warmed up with unsalted butter! Enjoy!

Breakfast Zucchini Bread

(This is called ‘Breakfast Zucchini Bread’ because it’s best to make in the evening and allow to sit overnight.)

Makes one small 8 x 4 loaf

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

What You Need:

1 large zucchini or 2 small ones finely shredded

1 beaten egg

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon plus a sprinkle of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Steps:

1. In one small bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda.

2. In a separate medium/large size bowl mix the beaten egg, sugar, vegetable oil, and shredded zucchini with an electric mixer.

3. Begin adding the dry ingredients (the flour and spices) to the wet ingredients (the egg and oil) slowly till batter is consistent.

4. Generously butter up the loaf pan and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

5. When bread is complete, allow to cool completely. Cover and let it sit overnight.

And then, enjoy for breakfast!

Mix all the dry ingredients in separate bowl.
Then, mix your wet ingredients.
Combine flour mixture and zucchini mixture together and bake at 350.

7 Tips For Taking Your Newborn On A Beachy Getaway

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This past weekend was Labor Day weekend and we went to Puerto Peñasco Mexico with our two toddlers and our 5 week old baby. Are we a little crazy, maybe some would say…. but we made some amazing memories!

We had an absolute blast, and I am so happy we went!

To be completely honest I was very hesitant about taking our newborn on a trip so soon. If my husband would have changed his mind I would have been completely okay with it.

However we had been planning this trip and we had people that were coming and meeting us there. So we really did want to go!

Me being the worry wart that I am, I actually called her pediatrician asking for precautions to take when traveling with a baby and safety measures at the beach. Well, they told me they don’t recommend doing anything like that until they are two months and have had their shots. Not really what I wanted to hear, but I kind of expected it.

When I told my husband what their pediatrician said his reply was, “babies are born in Mexico all the time.” Uhh ok.

This just goes to show who’s the more cautious parent in this relationship.

Well we ended up going, obviously.

We traveled to Mexico in our RV and from where we live it’s only about a 3 to 4 hour drive. So it’s really not too bad.

(What’s great about a newborn is they sleep so much! Our daughter pretty much slept this whole trip! Saturday to Sunday. She is a dream, and did better then expected. )

I am going to share some tips that worked for me and hopefully they work for you too IF you do decide to take a mini trip somewhere with a beach and your precious newborn.

7 Tips For Taking Your Newborn On A Beachy Getaway

1. Take Help With You

My mom went along on this trip and I can’t imagine how the trip would have been had she not come! She was so helpful! I was able to spend uninterrupted quality time with my other two daughters and enjoy the ocean with them. When my newborn was nursing or keeping me busy she would be with my other two daughters catering to their needs. My husband and I weren’t stressed at all because of the help! His dad and friend were there too and when they say it takes a village, they aren’t lying! Whoever they are!

You will enjoy your trip so much more if you have helping hands.

2. A Hand Held Misting Fan Is A NECESSITY

The times we were sitting on the beach under the umbrella I always had a misting fan at reach. It was a fantastic, and a very convenient way to stay cool for my baby and myself since we didn’t really get in the water. It was super humid so this is so helpful.

Do not forget a misting fan!

3. Co-sleep With A Pack N’ Play Mat

With being in an RV, I really didn’t want to pack the whole pack n’ play because you know how big they are and there wouldn’t really be any space in the RV for it. If you’re staying in a resort I would just bring the whole thing probably, but for us the mat was good enough.

I slept in the back with our baby with just the pack n’ play mat on the bed. I felt safe because she wasn’t sleeping on the soft mattress (it’s not advised to let your newborn sleep on a soft mattress due to SIDS) and I felt it was secure enough where I knew I wouldn’t roll on her. The bed was a queen bed and between two closets. It was the perfect way to co sleep and nurse her at night.

4. Keep Your Baby Covered When In The Sun

Newborns can’t wear sunblock so you really what to limit as much sun exposure as possible. A little sun isn’t going to hurt, but you really don’t want them exposed to direct sunlight for more then a few minutes.

When I would walk from the RV to the beach I always had a blanket over her, like a small receiving blanket. And when we were outside we were always in the shade.

5. Know Where The Local Hospitals Are

This is safety precaution to take for your peace of mind. IF, something did happen you want to know where the local hospitals are. You are taking your newborn so it’s best to be as safe as possible when traveling with a newborn.

6. Trust your Instincts And Know Your Limits

If you feel baby is getting too hot go inside. If you feel that would be too much for the baby then don’t do it. If you don’t want to take your baby there, then don’t go. (When I say there, I mean like a restaurant, shops, wherever) Don’t feel pressured. Trust that you know what is best for your baby.

7. Take Pictures And Just Have Fun!

Do your best to just enjoy yourself! Don’t let your worries consume you! You’re an amazing mama and you know your baby! So, again, trust YOURSELF and make memories!

(I only took her out to beach in the mornings and in the late afternoons. It wasn’t too hot during those times and the rays aren’t as strong.)

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Start Off Everyday With These 5 Simple Morning Habits

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Our mornings are what set the day for success, they set the pace for positive results, and they set our mood for optimism. Have you ever heard the quote, “Win the morning, win the day.” By Entrepreneur Tim Ferriss.

It makes a difference when things are running smoothly versus getting a late start and then constantly feeling rushed.

When we can win the morning we are setting ourselves up for productivity. You are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment through out your day when you have a great morning.

Think for a quick moment, what do your mornings look like? How are you shaping them daily.

Would you describe the start of your day as relatively consistent or a tad sporadic? I guess it kind of depends if you went out for margaritas the prior the night before or not. But on a daily basis what’s your routine look like?

If you don’t have a morning routine I highly encourage you to develop a morning routine. Don’t feel bad if you have difficulty sticking to your routine, the important thing is to have one in place and to work towards the good habits daily.

It can be super easy to get distracted but don’t let that stop you from getting these morning rituals done.

To be honest sometimes I have difficulty sticking to this routine because my children are my huge distraction but if I can cross off at least 3 of these things every morning I typically feel pretty good!

Now if you feel your morning is consistent, what is it that you do every morning and do you feel like it’s helping with your personal growth in some way?

And who doesn’t want to start their day with a positive attitude and in a positive mood every day!

It took me some time to develop a morning routine. But I’ve found when I’m consistent in all 5 of these habits my mornings are better then ever! A great kick start to the day and feeling motivated to get stuff done.

Here is what I do just about every morning!

Start Off Everyday With These 5 Simple Morning Habits

1. Stretch

One of the first things to do is the morning is stretch. (It’s usually after I’ve had my coffee) You don’t need to perform any crazy yoga stretches first thing in the morning just stand up and move your body.

Reach for the sky, reach for your toes, move your head side to side, you get the idea. Get the blood circulating and get your energy levels back up. While stretching to a few deep breathes. This is the perfect way to wake the body and get it ready for the day!

2. Wash Your Face/Take A Shower

I feel like a good, cold, splash to the face is rejuvenating and refreshing. I feel like my puffy eyes instantly go down and I become more awake in an instant.

A cold shower is another quick way to get those energy levels up and a great way to kick start any day! I usually shower at night but if I need an extra pep in my step I put on this watermelon shower cap and take a cold body shower. I’m more alert then ever, and I just feel good.

3. Drink A Glass Of Water

One of the first things I do every morning and put into my body every morning is I drink a glass of lukewarm water. Not cold, water needs to be warm or I would say room temperature. I have been doing this forever now. The best reason to do this is to cleanse your digestive track and to help eliminate toxins from your body.

4. Read A Devotional/Watch Or Listen To Something Motivating

This is one of the best things to do every morning to get your mind right. Reading a devotional, listening to an uplifting podcast, or watching a motivational video is a great way to gain some perspective and to motivate you. There’s nothing like feeling inspired every morning. I can’t even begin to describe the impact of doing this every morning!

5. Make A To-Do List

Making a to-do list is a great way to hold yourself a accountable on tasks you want to accomplish. Creating a to do list every morning increases productivity and did you know it even relieves stress!

With life being so chaotic at times this is a great way to have some control and to remain organized.

Share your morning routine! What is it that you do every morning that gets you going?

Time to implement these habits into your life!